F<>D and S<>D, or equivalent calculator functions
Many non-CAS devices like to tout their exact to decimal approximation conversion capabilities (and vice versa!). What do people think of this feature?
In my humble opinion, this is one of the most insidious, misleading and potentially dangerous features developed in the entire history of electronic calculators. I feel it’s sufficiently misguided to warrant the accusation that calculator manufacturers are fundamentally compromising the ability of young students to properly comprehend the properties of real numbers.
I think it’s especially asinine to give the impression that there’s a one-to-one mapping between a real number and its decimal approximation. To confuse matters further, the conversion often fails on very simple numbers such as 1/pi.
Wouldn’t it be much better to first implement a full CAS engine, then disable all of its algebra functions on the lower tier models? And then remove this nefarious button from the keyboard, and only permit one-way conversion from exact to decimal form, like any sensible mathematician would.
What are people’s thoughts on this?